Jenn Ashworth

This is a picture of me writing on the new typewriter. I am typing so fast my hands are blurry. I like that.

The one above it is something I made when I should have been writing. Everyone needs more bags. Bags are useful things. But even at the time it smelled a bit like procrastination. My desk is almost clear of empty cans, mugs, crisp packets, felt tip pens missing their lids and all other things that normally collect there when I am in the middle of something.

I have found that I haven’t had much time recently. I still have twenty four hours, same as everyone else, but those twenty four hours tend to be more and more full of stuff to do that isn’t writing. I think it might be a bit of procrastination and I think it might be that I am quite busy, no excuses.

When I didn’t work I didn’t write during the day either. Writing has always been saved for the evenings. When I started working I thought it would be easy to carry on this way. But the things apart from mothering (like laundry and cooking and food shopping and cleaning the toilet) were also done during the day. And I had naps. Which meant the nights were generally longer. So it isn’t working out as well as I had hoped.

Here are some of the other things that I do instead of writing:

a) Making bags and shawls and other not strictly Essentials Of Life.
b) Reading.
c) Having very long baths – often combined with (b)
d) other kinds of writing: emails, blogs, book reviews, journals, letters, lists, plans.
e) talking to my friends
f) watching films
g) ‘pottering’ (this generally means rearranging the things in my house then putting them back where they were)
h) ironing trousers for work
i) housework (although I have cut hoovering down to a minimum)
j) dozing
k) watering houseplants

I think I need to eliminate some of these things so that I can write some more. I was going to get a hair-cut today but I decided to spend the money on getting five loads of laundry washed and dried and folded at the launderette. I even asked the man to fold my clothes and the Small Fry’s clothes in different baskets so they would be quick to put away when I got home. I think this is a good step forward.